News

Here’s What Suspiria Looks Like as a Children’s Book-and-Record Set

Published

9 years ago

August 15, 2015

Did you know that Dario Argento’s classic Suspiria was originally intended to feature children as the girls attending the ballet school? This would have made for a much different, though likely still awesome movie. I set out to write specifically about this interesting piece trivia, but in my research, I came across some fantastic artwork that imagines Suspiria as an old school children’s book-and-record set. If you grew up in the 80s, you probably remember these.

So first off, let’s check that out. Then we’ll get to the real Suspiria trivia down below.

The artwork comes from The Collinsport Historical Society’s Cousin Barnabas, who calls it a “Photoshop experiment” created on a whim. It was first posted back in April.

Suspiria

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suspiria-kids5

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Unfortunately there aren’t actually 24 pages as mentioned on the cover, but it’s still an an awesome little project as far as I’m concerned.

Now for the actual story.

Our own John Squires recently wrote about his trip to haunt convention Haunt Faire, where he saw Suspiria’s Barbara Magnolfi (she played Olga) speak about working on the film.

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John recalled, “Magnolfi talked about working with Dario Argento, remarking that the film was originally going to star children – and Argento, she said, instructed her to basically act like a child would.”

This isn’t a completely unknown fact. It’s been mentioned here and there, but I’m not sure the knowledge is incredibly common among the more casual fans of the film. The IMdb trivia section for the film gets into it a little:

Director Dario Argento‘s original idea was that the ballet school would accommodate young girls not older than 12. However, the studio and producer Salvatore Argento (his father) denied his request because a film this violent involving children would almost certainly be banned. Dario raised the age limit of the girls to 20 but didn’t rewrite the script, hence the naiveté of the characters and the occasionally childlike dialogue. He also put all the doorknobs at about the same height as the actress’ heads, so they would have to raise their arms in order to open the doors, just like children.

According to 366WeirdMovies.com, Argento intended for the girls to be in the 8 to 10-year-old range.

Here’s an interview in which Magnolfi talks about it a little more:

[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/eMDeDB80xoM”]

She says, “He wanted all of us to play the roles in a childish way because Suspiria was intended as a fairy tale at the beginning, and obviously you couldn’t do a horror fairy tale, so you know, he got people that were older, but he still wanted us to play in a childish way, so I approached my character in a childish way.”

The film’s Wikipedia page says:

Scriptwriter Daria Nicolodi stated that Suspiria‘s inspiration came from a tale her grandmother told her as a young child about a real life experience she had in an acting academy where she discovered “the teachers were teaching arts, but also black magic.” This story was later confirmed by Argento to have been made up.

It’s hard to argue with the decision to put adults in the characters’ roles, and I don’t think many would argue that the film worked out pretty well in the end, but at the same time, you have to wonder if it would have been even more terrifying had we seen 8 to 10-year-olds in danger from the notorious ballet school witches.

There’s been talk about both a cinematic remake of the film and a television series. It would be interesting to see them play with that concept in either, but that most likely won’t happen. Hell, who knows if these projects will happen at all? A Suspiria remake has been rumored at various times for years.

Children’s Book-and-Record Set Art from www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

10 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.